Finding a Dream
by kelour
Summary: Morpheus wanted his daughter to join him. But she refused. Now even more than the mortal world is at stake. Takes place before The Last Olympian.
1. Dust

**Dust**

**A PJO/HoO Fanfiction**

_Ciera: Welcome everyone! Yes, yes I know. It's been hectic for all of us here in The Fading Author's mind. But she's finally decided to repost her story of Morpheus's Daughter (aka yours truly) with a few changes. So on her behalf, I wish to mention that she does not own PJO or HoO. But she does own me, and a lot of other characters. Enjoy ^-^_

_**...**_

A six year old girl played on the swings of her school's playground. Which school? Which playground? None of that matters.

Her hair, brown as tree bark with strands of wilted yellow leaves was tied into a ponytail. It swished as she swung back and forth. The force of the swinging ruffled her school uniform. Was it plaid? Pleated? Pink? Again, such worldly details do not hold any concern.

Her young, pale skin shimmered in the sunlight, which was odd as she usually only played outside on cloudy days. Eyes blue and dreamy were like the sky seen through a lens of diamond; clear and disorienting. Those eyes made grown-ups believe she daydreamed every second of everyday.

That was very much the truth. As she swung to and fro she thought she was soaring. She thought she heard a dragon scream out to her; shouting and spreading the heat of the sun.

All of a sudden she felt dizzy. Immediately the girl stopped swinging. As she slowed, the loud schoolyard became mute to her ears and her vision blurred. When the swing came to a complete stop, she stood and her legs felt like Jell-O. The girl was finding it difficult to concentrate on the world around her. She felt drained of energy; sleepy.

Within seconds, she closed her dreamy blue eyes and fell unconscious next to the swings surrounded by grains sand.

_**...-...?_?...**_

The girl lay sleeping in a bed in at the nurse's office an hour later. For some reason, sand was appearing in small amounts in the sheets and in her hair; sprinkling on the floor.

A man dressed in a black cloak suddenly appeared by the girl's bedside. He was pale with greying blonde hair and dreamy dreamy blue eyes. Despite the bright lighting in the room, he did not surrender a shadow. It was as if he were an illusion shimmering as he moved; there in the room, in yet not there at all.

Morpheus, the god of dreams, smiled and placed his hand on the little girl's forehead. The small child shifted in her sleep, but did not awake. From his cloak it brought out a small silver box, and opened it. The grains gathered themselves and flew straight into the box. With the last speck cleaned away from the girl, the box snapped shut.

Morpheus vanished.

_**...o-o...n_n...**_

Ciera wiped a crystal tear out of her eye as she placed a red rose on the coffin hovering over a newly dug grave. Her mother had passed away. The thirteen year old girl had never felt so alone before in her life. With her mother gone and her father nowhere to be found, Ciera would have to live with her Aunt Daphne and other relatives.

The girl had to admit she was at least somewhat happy her mother had passed on. She was a gentle woman and suffered disease for quite some time. At least the pain was gone.

Aunt Daphne, her mother's sister, loved and tolerated Ciera. However, her uncle and cousins found her strange. They always blamed her whenever something unfortunate had happened. Like that time in Disney World two years prior when Goofy was trying to kill Donald after the duck stole Ciera's Popsicle. Or that time Uncle Jimmy got droopy while Ciera sat in the front seat; let's just be thankful a side view mirror was the only fatal casualty.

A gust blew through her long black dress and shoulder length brown-gold hair as the coffin was lowered into the ground and the bystanders disappeared.

"Are you coming dear?" Daphne asked her niece. Daphne was tall and slim with a deeper complexion than Ciera, who remained pale from being indoors too much; ill from her attacks. The woman replaced her black heels with a comfortable pair of bright blue flip-flops.

"No." Ciera simply replied in her quiet tone. "I want to stay a little bit longer."

Daphne hesitated.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry." Ciera insisted.

A long moment of silence went by.

"Alright hun." Daphne simply said. "Be careful."

With that, the woman walked off to the van behind her husband and children.

Ciera walked over to a bench far away from her mother's resting place and closed her eyes hoping another wind would blow across her face.

Light blue eyes still closed, a pale finger softly caressed her cheek. It felt as gentle as a refreshing breeze, but there was no wind. Startled, the girl opened her eyes and found nothing out of the ordinary, so closed them again. She hoped the ominous touch had come from her mother's spirit.

Involuntarily, she began to cry.

Morpheus, the god of dreams, stepped out of the shadows of a nearby tree and walked over to the bench where Ciera was. The birds hushed their songs, bugs in the overgrown grass stopped screaming. Everything had gone as quite as…well, a graveyard. All the creatures had fallen asleep.

"May I sit here?" The god asked the crying girl.

Ciera looked up and her teary blue eyes met his, which held some unspoken grief. He too looked as if he'd lost a loved one. She nodded and Morpheus took a seat beside her.

After a long silence, the god spoke.

"I'm so sorry Ciera." Morpheus said turning to the girl sitting beside him sounding truly remorseful.

"How?-How do you know my name?" Ciera asked taken aback that this stranger knew her name.

"How could I afford to not know the name of my own daughter?" He answered her question with one of his own.

Ciera's dreamy blue eyes met his and it stunned her to realize they were similar to hers. But while hers were young and insecure, his were ageless, sharp and filled with integrity. She started feeling dizzy and black spots appeared in her vision.

Turning away from his intense gaze; she looked to the ground and saw her silhouette was a slim, pathetic shape sitting next to nothing. The stranger didn't cast a shadow.

"You don't have a shadow!" Ciera stood up in shock and immediately regretted it as her legs felt like Jell-O like the first time she had an attack. "Who are you? What are you?"

The stranger smiled slightly.

"I am Morpheus." He replied rising off of the bench. "god of dreams and your father."

The god of dreams waved his hand in front of Ciera's face and she lost consciousness.

_**...^-^..."**"...**_

Ciera awoke on the bench of the cemetery; her head resting on her father's lap. She rose slowly. The sand was there again, like it was every time she woke up. Except this time it was crystal-like powder glittering on parts of her black dress.

"Now that you know the truth, your life will be more dangerous." Morpheus warned his daughter. "For that I am sorry."

"Will I ever see you again?" The demigod asked, afraid of losing her father another time, and confused about the so called danger.

Morpheus's pale hand caressed her cheek like he did while she slept. He knew it was against the rules, but it was necessary for many reasons. The two locked eyes.

"All you have to do is sleep. And you will enter a world unlike any other."

"Ciera honey where are you?" A woman's voice called, but not loud enough to wake the dead.

The demigod looked away from the god to the direction of the call. It was her aunt searching for her.

When she returned her gaze to her father, he was gone.

The demigod gathered some of the dust on her dress. This time a breeze blew, and she yielded the power to the wind.

_**...o-o...**_

Ciera: Okay folks, that's the end of this one-shot. On behalf of The Fading Author who is dealing with a kitchen fire, thank you for reading.

Morpheus: Reviews are welcomed. But the choice is yours.

Ciera: May sweet dreams stay with you all. **(^-^)**


	2. Taken

**Taken**

_The Fading Author: *looks up from shuffling papers* Hello readers long time no see. Some of the writer's block had been cleaned up thanks to a group of hardworking Imaginary Friends, three Pokémon boss battles, a bulldozer, and of course Phantasos. _

_Ciera: So yea, welcome back. Originally The Fading Author was going to have this as a one-shot, but Phantasos and her other characters convinced her otherwise. I'm just here for the ride._

_The Fading Author: *cellphone rings* Oh, please excuse me readers, gotta take this. Ciera do you mind wrapping up this intro?_

_Ciera: It would be my honor._

_The Fading Author: Thanks *leaves*_

_Ciera: The Fading Author does not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians nor the Heroes of Olympus. Since it's not much of a 'typical' PJO fanfic, she apologizes that if anyone thinks the story is awful. Enjoy._

…

"Dammit girl I'm your father! I know what's best for you!"

Ciera cringed at her father's voice and a tear fell from a clear blue eye. The demigod held the charms of her necklace close to her heart hoping for comfort. She tried to keep her feet from failing her and her drooping blue eyes from yielding to sleep.

She knew then how dangerous sleep really was. Dreams were probably even worse.

The proof was there towering over her: Morpheus, the once relaxed minor god was filled with malice to poison the concern of his daughter.

"Look at me Ciera." He stopped shouting and reduced his tone to a deadly whisper.

Ciera shut her eyes tight allowing more tears to run down her pale cheeks. _No. I won't look. I just can't._

The god was not in the mood to have his simple order disobeyed. He near roughly-for he did want her to feel how serious he was- lifted her chin with one hand, and with the other yanked her wrist. It happened to be the wrist attached to the hand clutching the necklace which was yanked from Ciera's heart.

With her comfort gone, the demigod's tears multiplied and she choked back a sob. She saw her father's face and didn't recognize it.

_Gods no._

When she had first met him, she could look at Morpheus and see the face of a god full of insight and weariness. But in those dark times she couldn't distinguish him. Like to the sight of mortals and most others, she saw his face shifting.

"Pledge yourself to Kronos. Help me and the others put the world in endless sleep; give the Olympians what they deserve. Make a world where you can live immortal and have your heart's desires."

Morpheus still gripped her firmly and waited patiently for her to answer. _Come to your senses girl. Don't you see your life is at stake?_

"I-I can't d-dad." Ciera managed to twist out of his hold and step back. She didn't expect to hit the door of her closet, but she tried not to let that stop her from confronting her father.

"This isn't right. Kronos is lying. He's-"she recalled a song from Within Temptation and thought it appropriate "he's a deceiver of hearts" and with a shaky breath she added "a deceiver of fools."

Morpheus's many faces flashed with even more malice before he composed himself; appearing calm after a storm, accepting her answer without a fight.

Or so she thought.

"So be it."

Those were the last words Ciera had heard before Morpheus forced her into dark sleep, much like her epilepsy did.

The brief shriek of pain stung a part of Morpheus's heart as his daughter dropped her necklace to the ground and fell.

Morpheus knelt and caught her just before she could hit her head. The god lifted her small frame in his arms. He also placed the leather necklace back in her hand and closed her fist around it.

Soon he and Ciera were not alone.

The figure of a man slightly taller than Morpheus approached. He looked about in his thirties, had pale skin, dark blonde hair, wings on both sides of his head where his ears should've been, and dark empty voids for eyes. His shirt was black with red designs of Disney World being destroyed by his dragon and wore black jeans.

"So brother, I see she's refused." Phobetor, god of nightmares ran his fingers through Ciera's brown hair. Tiny particles of dust were already forming, and Phobetor felt energized by them. "Foolish girl. She'd rather get herself killed that serve her own father."

Morpheus briefly narrowed his eyes at his brother before standing. Phobetor smirked as the dust disappeared into his body.

Phobetor continued. "The battlefield needs inspection. Should we go together?"

Morpheus glanced down at his daughter, feeling the malice build up again, and the disappointment of his own daughter going against him.

"I'll go alone. Take Ciera and be gentle with her."

Phobetor shrugged accepting his niece.

"And try not to over indulge." Morpheus went on as Phobetor adjusted the demigod in his arms "Kronos needs that dust."

The god of nightmares' empty eyes appeared like he had rolled them. He turned into his true form and vanished with Ciera's unconscious body.

Morpheus sighed and teleported to Manhattan to scout the battlefield for the approaching war.

…

_Ciera: Okay, that's the end of that._

_Phantasos: Hey! I wasn't in it! *pouts*_

_The Fading Author: Aw, don't be sad._

_Ciera: Yea. You'll get your chance._

_The Fading Author: Hope you guys at least enjoyed it somewhat. I usually try to completely plan a story and epically fail. So I'm just gonna go with the flow here._

_Ciera: And if you want, check out the song Deceiver of Fools by Within Temptation if you're curious._

**-Finding a Dream**


	3. Poppies, Dust, and Ash

**Poppies, Dust, and Ash**

_Ciera: Welcome dear readers to yet another chapter of Finding a Dream._

_The Fading Author: Yea, what she said. I apologize for my slow updates *hangs head in shame*_

_Ciera: Oh don't be sad! On behalf of my author I would like to thank those who reviewed, favorited, and watched out for updates. You guys help keep the land of dreams alive ^-^. And now introducing Helios with the disclaimer._

_Helios: *stops eating pie* Oh right. The Fading Author does not own- *gets hit in the head with a crowbar-_

_Phantasos: *jumps in* The Fading Author doesn't own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which is pretty obvious since Rick Riordan owns it. _

_Helios: PHANTASOS! *throws fireball*_

_The Fading Author: *sighs* Boys take your fun outside before the living room burns down. Again. Anyway readers please enjoy and excuse any errors. I appreciate all attempts to not killing me._

…

Far along the Lethe and close to Erebus was a vast field of black, grey, purple, red, and blue poppies. Luminescent butterflies fluttered among the flowers and burning will-o'-the-wisps, blessing the freezing, dark field with ample light and warmth.

The blooms swayed to the rhythm of Ciera's slow, ragged breaths as she lay sleeping among them. Sleep pollen from the poppies were enhanced by her presence and danced around like playing sprites in the wind. Similar grains came from Ciera herself, appearing on her hair and skin.

Very few had this special ability so crucial to the worlds of sleep and dreams: The knack of increasing Sleep Pollen, and creating Dust.

It was these grains that the titan army demanded in order to put the world in endless sleep.

Phobetor had brought the demigod here where the real world meets the dream world. Another place where the two meet is Disney World, but that's another story. She was safe from the perils of the war in reality, but she had other problems ahead of her.

Had Ciera been awake, she could still develop the pollen and be free to leave when she'd done a work well done. Her body would be able to rest. But she'd been forced to sleep. Forced to create the Dust.

And that very well could kill her.

Sleep is dangerous, and dreams can be worse.

A day had passed since Phobetor had taken Ciera. The god of nightmares isn't one who'd strike you as the babysitting type. He isn't. But yet he'd spent hours there in the field with his niece.

Just watching her. Just thinking of ways to make her hurt.

Phobetor's expressionless black eyes gazed at Ciera's sleeping form. She was in a nightmare, trembling, beads of sweat making the Pollen and Dust stick to her pale skin.

She whimpered in her sleep. The god chuckled. For the umpteenth time he ran a hand through Ciera's hair and grabbed a fist full, prying power out of the strands.

Ciera's silent screaming- her pain- was his drug.

A hand shot out of the shadows and griped Phobetor's wrist, making him release the gold, brown locks. He'd been too drunk to notice his second brother approach.

Butterflies on his crown of black poppies illuminated his features: the white feathers of his winged, light blond head, black graphic tee and ripped denim jeans, a youthful face. Demonic looking eyes: deep indigo instead of whites, white instead of colorful irises.

His eyes flashed with annoyance and reproach.

"Stop," Phantasos, the god of unreal, ambiguous dreams tsked and released his brother's wrist. "You'll kill her."

Phobetor was not thrilled about being caught, but he should've counted his blessings. Morpheus very well may've cut his hand off if he cared. Ciera's other friends would definitely try to turn him to ash if they could.

"Lighten up," the god of nightmare clasped his brother on the shoulder, "I was only having a snack."

Now Phantasos hated many things: children being told not to dream, being restricted, flip-flops. But he absolutely hated that his brother could get away with what he does- would do- to mortals. Phobetor's a god, and there's nothing in the rule book to keep him from taking everything from Ciera.

There's nothing to stop him from being HIM.

"She's not your nectar and ambrosia," Phantasos sighed. "She'll never be yours. There's a reason Lily chose Morpheus over you."

At the sound of Ciera's mother's name Phobetor form shimmered and turned animalistic before lunging at his brother.

…**ooo…**

Ciera knew that her uncle Phobetor had touched her. She knew by the dozens of lizards crawling over her skin.

In the real world she had a phobia of lizards, both big and small. When she would cry out to her mother to deal with a lizard in her bedroom, Lily would fix the problem say everything was alright. Her uncle Jimmy would tell her to stop being silly and comment that these creatures couldn't hurt her.

Just like dreams couldn't hurt anyone.

Yea right.

Dreams can in fact hurt the children of sleep and dreams. Dream demons can be just as bad monsters. Even though these demigods have high chances of surviving, they could still be electrocuted, burned, and wounded, and wake up battered and bleeding.

Just like the lizards crawling over the demigod's skin and in her hair can numb her dream realm self. These lizards can very well hurt her with their rough scales and their mini, icy claws.

Make her tremble in her sleep and whimper very so softly to the delight of her sick, twisted uncle.

She could fight her way out of the nightmare by killing the lizards to open the exit. But Phobetor knew very well she couldn't kill lizards. She was too afraid.

Plus, she felt like a mortal losing a wonderful dream; despair, heartbroken, useless…

A teenager bathed in firelight entered the cavern of lizards where Ciera huddled helplessly. He looked about eighteen, with dark curly hair ringed with gold and red like a halo of flames. His orange collared shirt and black slacks looked like they'd catch fire any second.

Fire and light danced along his finger tips. As he approached Ciera the lizards of the cave began to burn until they were ashes.

The sensation of icy claws vanished and was replaced with itchy vestige on her skin. The daughter of Morpheus felt fire in her frozen veins. When the feeling returned to her limbs, she tried to sit up.

And found herself back on the stone floor.

The boy in flames had tackled and pinned her to the floor by her wrists with blinding speed.

Any other girl would've screamed. But Ciera laughed with relief.

"Tag. You're it." His voice sounded from the top of her.

"Get off me Helios." Ciera commanded, suppressing laughter.

Her blue eyes met the golden eyes of Helios. His dark features and halo of fire made it easier to believe him an avenging angel. More like a fallen angel from the usual glint of haunting mischief in his eyes.

Helios smirked and rose up off of the demigod. Once on his feet, he held a hand out for her, which she accepted with a small smile and a wince from the pain in her head and back.

There was a sharp hiss in the distance.

The former titan of the sun slowly ran a hand through Ciera's hair. Some Dust sprinkled to the ground as he combed lizard ash out of her gold-brown locks.

"Let's go." He whispered.

Ciera's heart felt warm again. She knew dread would find its way back into her system, but she decided not dwell on it. She decided to ignore the fact that her body is being used to aid the titan army. Ignored the possibility of death in her forced slumber. Ignored losing a dream- the father who had loved her.

Instead, the lizards Helios destroyed were only the hatchlings.

Ciera tied the necklace around her neck before she broke off running to the door at Helios' tail.

…**,,,…**

_Phantasos: I'm proud of you *gives The Fading Author a hug*_

_The Fading Author: Good to know after you bitched and demanded that I update. Thanks for reading dear readers. And congratulations to those whose eyes did not burst into flames._

_Ciera: Anyone with smoldering retinas is advised to contact Helios. Later._

**-Finding a Dream**


	4. The Land of Dreams

**The Land of Dreams**

_Dear Readers,_

_If you're reading this: CONGRADULATIONS! Not only do you have the wonderful ability to read, but it also means that The Fading Author finally managed to suck it up and write another chapter._

_She extends her heartfelt gratitude firstly towards to her twin sister for updating her own story, and thus providing the author incentive to scrap something together to update hers. Next, you Readers are entitled to gratitude as well for bothering to read, subscribe, favourite, and review this story for whatever reason you may have. Special thanks to _Androgynous-Heron , and Gaia was Framed.

_The Fading Author wishes to express her apologies for delayed updates and lack of effort into this story, despite the fact she's had the idea since late 2010. _

_I close this message reminding you that The Fading Author does not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and to plead your nonchalance to any errors witnessed throughout._

_Yours in sleep and dreams,_

_Aislin_

_Friend, Secretary to The Fading Author_

_P.S. – Welcome to the Land of Dreams. Should you experience any difficulties, find an imaginary friend or bolt for the nearest exit._

**/\**

After Helios and Ciera escaped the nightmare, he insisted that she get some rest. In order for Ciera (and perhaps other children of dreams –it's not certain) to receive the benefits of rest, she'd have to go to sleep in her room in the land of dreams. It's the default place her essence is transferred to while body remained lifeless in sleep -death's imitator as it is called. But the transition process can be quite easily intercepted by gods who want to mess with the half-blood.

And so she slept and let the darkness cloak her, with crystal dust sparkling like suspended stars. For how long? A few minutes maybe? Or perhaps two weeks? In the dream realm time hardly moves, yet sometimes it's a blink of an eye in real world time. She caught glimpses of a few visions: The world in endless sleep, Kronos gaining strength and lengthening his army through the power of dreams, the land of dreams itself eventually dissolving away –normal demigod stuff like that.

Eventually she woke up in her sanctuary where black and grey happily bonded with other dark shades to create a dreary but cosy work of art –designed, and imagined to Ciera's liking. Upside down candles illuminated the room with light from the ceiling. Paintings of angelic imps came to life and soared around the room before retreating to their silver frames. Just for laughs, she had an image of Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon, painted on one of the room's ten walls (in a star shape).

There's a large door leading to a balcony outside made of stained glass which constantly shifted its colours and ambiguous patterns.

Ciera pushed aside the soft, black comforter as she leapt out of the large bed. A key was one of the charms on her necklace. She removed it from around her neck then her feet pounded against the black marble floor as she made her way to the balcony's mystical doors. This was her personal portal to return to her body in the real world.

As she reached the door she frowned. _Doesn't feel right_, the demigod thought_._

She inserted the silver key into the key hole, but failed to unlock the doors. After a few more tries, she sighed in frustration and ran her hands through her brown hair, removing the bangs off her forehead.

"Damn. Locked." Ciera said in annoyance.

She was trapped in the land of dreams. If her own portal was shut to her, it was most likely the other exits were blocked off to her as well. At that moment slight panic boiled up through her spine as she could feel the Dust flowing through her. The stream was steady, but it felt like her physical body was dissolving cell by cell into powder and at the same time replacing the dissolved cells with new ones. It wasn't exactly painful, but neither was it too comfortable.

Pushing the thought aside, Ciera returned the necklace around her neck. She moved toward a wall of mirrors, not really liking what she saw. Burn marks, scrapes and ash speckled her skin. Her hair was tangled everywhere and her eyes were tinged with red and had massive shadows under them.

_I haven't looked this dilapidated since, well…mom died. Before I met dad._

She couldn't help but feel powerless. That the world would fall into endless sleep all because she wasn't strong enough to stop her father. That she couldn't help her father see what a terrible mistake he was making.

The demigod was lost in her thoughts when the door of her room opened. In came a Titaness, an imp, and a large white tiger.

With his long strides, Iah the tiger was the first to cross the room to Ciera. The large white feline had a black circlet around his head and his eyes were pure silver light. He was a birthday/welcome-to-the-land-of-dreams gift to Ciera. Iah nudged the demigod in the side, which made her crack a smile and laid a trembling hand on his head.

There was a shriek and Ciera looked at the imp folding the black feathery wings on her head so that they blended with her black curly hair. Aislin's light-brown skinned, middle-school-aged in graphic tee with the words "Imp Corp" scribbled all over it and jeans, with long curly black hair and icy blue eyes. Unable to make coherent phases of speech, Aislin spoke in shrieks and simple vocal sounds. But Ciera understood her words as if there was a soft voice reverberating in her skull.

"_Lady Ciera?" _The echo hummed with concern.

"I'm fine guys" was the demigod's response.

Selene had her long black hair tied into a messy bun, her skin was pale and glowed a silver aura when excited, her lovely silvery eyes were rimmed with black eyeliner you just don't get to see on magazine covers. She wore denim shorts, black graphic tee smothered with white designs of dust, moons, and crowns.

The Titaness was not convinced.

"Ciera, honey you need to get cleaned up." Selene placed an elegant hand on Ciera shoulder.

The demigod nodded and allowed her friends to lead her out of the room and into the corridors of the castle.

…

It's amazing how one feels after a bath and a change of clothes; even in the dream world. Ciera and her friends walked through the corridors of the palace.

The castle's interior was very similar to that of Ciera's abode with upside down candles providing a near-perfect lighting system. As they passed by the demigod peaked at some of the few random pictures that adorned the dark grey walls. Some of these golden frames depicted the dreams of mortals; most of those of high status. Some were beautiful, many were somewhat frightening, but the majority were in between.

There were also some portraits of the children of dreams. A picture of Walt Disney winked at her as she passed. Statues lined the halls as well.

Suddenly, a sculpture that looked like Salvador Dali came alive. "Aislin the Imp, Iah the Tiger! Lady Moon Superior!"

Ciera screeched and stumbled into Selene.

"Dali! Don't do that!" The daughter of Morpheus held her heart. In the dream realm it may as well flutter out of her rib cage and they'd have a hard time catching it. Again.

"Sincerest apologies Daughter of Morpheus, but the imp and the tiger are needed urgently. And his Lordship of the Sun is in need of Lady Moon's services."

"Thanks Dali." Selene thanked the statue.

Salvador Dali returned to his stationary position.

The imp then made a sad face and hugged Ciera. Translated this meant: _"We must go milady."_

Iah nudged Ciera, nearly causing the demigod and the imp to plunge onto the carpet. "Things are more hectic in the dream world." Yea, the tiger can speak but the imp can't. Weird huh?

Ciera didn't quite understand why, but she had a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach. But she knew her friends were needed elsewhere besides with her. There were millions of children out there who needed imaginary friends and creatures to survive their dreams and keep the monsters in check. Then with the war approaching…

Aislin waved once more and flew off with Iah running after her.

"Duty- more specifically my big headed brother calls." Selene gave the demigod a pat on the shoulder. "I'll catch ya later Cee"

Selene vanished in a ray of silver light.

**nnn**

Ciera entered the palace's main chamber. When she entered, her eyes laid upon the various Greek pillars in the same dreary shade of grey, each standing tall and holding up the ceiling of candles. In the centre of the meeting room, there were three large thrones in the form of La-Z-Boys surrounding a hearth glowing with a mystifying shade of indigo.

One of the chairs was occupied by a ten foot tall Phantasos. He was wearing his favourite shirt; the one that says "Dreams Rule. Reality Sucks."

In front of Phantasos' throne knelt a small light blue elf wearing a torn up green and yellow school uniform giving a report.

"Thank you Bernard. I will send someone as soon as I can." The god spoke to the elf as he summoned a silver iPad out of nowhere and tapped it a few times. This action despatched another group of imaginary friends to battle very dangerous dream demons who Phobetor allowed to get out of hand.

"It's been done."

Bernard stood up, bowed to Phantasos and vanished, going off to assist the other imaginary friends.

With the elf's departure, the minor god released a sigh and his iPad faded away. Soon after, he brightened up again as he noticed Ciera advancing toward his throne.

"Lord Phantasos." Ciera said briefly bowing at his throne.

"Lady Ciera." He replied with a nod his head.

Ciera looked into the god's completely bizarre eyes. They almost made him look more demonic than Phobetor, but in them she saw creatures that most humans thought were myths, unicorns, fairies, gnomes, you name it. She could imagine herself soaring through the skies on a mighty dragon and diving to the bottom of the ocean with a majestic whale. Animals spoke human tongue. Anything was possible. And it was a world where rules of science and logic were meant to be broken.

Understanding past between the two of them as Ciera was a frequent visitor to his confusing journeys and this realm. The godling's demonic eyes sparkled as his form shrunk to the size of an average teenage boy.

…

Minutes later, Phantasos was on a role blurting out crazy ideas meant to inspire mortal artists, writers, musicians and other people. That's one important service that the dream world brings. Inspiration. Without it many would be lost, and progress would hardly move forward.

The wings on the god's head fluttered excitedly, making him float off the black marble floor. Now that he had finished being serious, he returned to his normal weirdo self. He had transformed from the dude dating the homecoming queen's worst enemy and playing the electric guitar, to the dude playing games with his younger siblings. He began flying all over the place as if he'd just got hyped up on sugar and caffeine.

"Uh, Phantasos?" Ciera's naturally quiet voice strained to capture the excited godling's attention.

She twisted and turned in every direction with the skirts of her black dress twirling as she tried to catch up with her blabbering uncle. Ciera was trying to ask him to help her get back to reality.

The demigod sighed. She knew it was close to impossible to break Phantasos' ritual of blurting out ideas. But she couldn't help smiling at the thought that this ritual helped to inspire some of the shows she liked to watch on television and books she liked to read. She herself would've happily joined him like she usually did, but she could still feel her physical self disintegrating.

Thankfully, a very tall male dark grey coloured imp with white swirly tattoos and grey wings and long grey hair dressed in an Imp Corp. T-shirt and jeans came up to Ciera and handed her a megaphone. The imaginary friends were very much as used to this event as Ciera was.

"Thanks Alfred." Ciera gratefully accepted the device.

She turned up the volume to the max. Alfred placed a pair of white fluffy earmuffs on his winged head and jogged out of the chamber. Ciera always wondered how the imps were able to hear when there were wings where their ears should be. She perished the thought and raised the megaphone close to her mouth.

"Phantasos!" Ciera's voice bellowed throughout the megaphone. No effect.

"PHANTASOS!" She yelled again.

Still no effect on the godling. Ciera rolled her eyes and decided desperate times called for desperate measures. _Sorry Phantasos_. She thought as she threw the megaphone at the minor god with incredible accuracy.

"What the f?!" Phantasos shouted recovering from the blow.

The minor god looked to the direction from where the brick was thrown and saw Ciera tapping her bare foot on the floor waiting for him. Phantasos chuckled and scratched his head knowing exactly why his niece impaled him. The demigod was lucky that her uncle was more understanding than some of the other gods who would have "catch so much feelings" and incinerated her.

"Sorry about that." He said. With a snap of his fingers, a new crown of black poppies circled around his head.

"As I was trying to say earlier." Ciera began as she stood in front of the throne. "I need help getting back to the real world. Any ideas?"

"Well, I suspected your key wouldn't work since you're technically _grounded_. So let's use my key!"

With a fist pump in the air, he and Ciera had teleported to Ciera's room in the castle. The pair appeared in front of the balcony. Phantasos handed the half-blood his key who attempted to unlock its mystical doors. She turned the key and tried the handles, but the door -as it did earlier-did not open.

"It ain' working."

"WHAT? Impossible!" Phantasos switched places with Ciera.

He attempted to unlock the doors himself with no results. He even said some sort of chant in Ancient Greek.

Nothing.

He took a step back with a hand to his chin, thinking. A light bulb appeared over his head as he snapped his fingers and grabbed a crowbar.

_Oh gods. Not the Almighty Crowbar. Again._

"This will only take a second." Phantasos confidently said as he wedged the tool between the balcony's doors.

Ciera waited for a while and got tired of watching her uncle epically fail to unlock the doors. She ended up playing tag with the imp from the paintings.

The demigod hopped out of a picture frame and saw Phantasos huffing and puffing, defeated.

"Oookkkaayyy. Either big bro changed the lock on me, or your door's busted." Phantasos said rubbing the back of his head. "There's no way to get you back to your body this way."

Ciera released a sigh.

"Well, I guess I'm stuck here for a while." She opened the balcony without the use of a key. This action revealed the dream realm beyond the castle and allowed a calming breeze to blow through her hair. Helios and Selene switched the roles of the sky, so it was getting darker by the second as Shapees painted the heavens. Glowing creatures and balls of light made the billions of sparkling stars.

For now, let's just say it was a realm that looked like a story book; like everything and anything. A fairytale place that was close to impossible to describe in words.

Her balcony oversaw the garden.

"Well since you're stuck here, you can help out." Phantasos stood at the side of his niece looking out into his world and snapping her out of her thoughts. "Some of your uncle Phobetor's pets need to be fed. Think you're up for it?"

Ciera rolled her eyes and closed the balcony's double doors. To her, something still felt off, like a powerful hum vibrating throughout everything. She was about to ask Phantasos about it, but it was clear by the look in her uncle's eyes that the matter was not up for discussion; he didn't want her to worry.

"Bring it on." She said as calmly as she could.

Phantasos smiled and rustled her hair. "At a girl. Brace yourself. Stay strong. And we just might survive this."

_Phantasos: Finally she updates. Really, she is so unfocused. I wonder who she gets it fr- Oh look Phineas and Ferb is on! *runs off*_

_The Fading Author: *sarcastically* Gee, where do I get it from. Anywho, this chapter was written to introduce a little bit of my version of the land of dreams and so you can see the rest of Ciera's friends._

_Ciera: Thank you wonderful readers for taking the time to read. I hope you guys enjoyed it. _

_The Fading Author: And thank you dear Aislin for writing the letter at the beginning._

_Aislin: *shrieks a "Your welcome"*_

_Selene: Dream on, and rock on from The Fading Author and the rest of us!_

**-Finding a Dream**


	5. Gift of Surprise

**Gift of Surprise**

_*The Fading Author walks out of her room, leaving someone who looks just like her*_

_Phantasos: *appears from nowhere* Hey The Fading Author! Are you ready to start the story?_

_Shy-twinee: But I'm not...*gets cut off by Phantasos*_

_Phantasos: What do you mean you're not ready? And why are you wearing your glasses? I thought you didn't like to wear those. And what's with the pink DS. And why do you sound so different? And what happened to you bangs...*and he runs on and on*_

_*The Fading Author enters the room with Aislin, Ciera, and Iah*_

_The Fading Author: Hey chica. I see you've already met Phantasos._

_Shy-twinee: Yea um...is he going to be okay?_

_Ciera: *rolls her eyes* Just let him tire himself out._

_The Fading Author: … Oh crap! The readers are here...Uh sorry 'bout that folks._

_WELCOME! Hope you guys enjoy my writing which isn't completely awesome, yet not terrible at the same time. YOU ALL ROCK!_

_Shy-twinee: My sister does not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Please excuse any mistakes you may encounter._

_The Fading Author: Well said sis._

_**?...?...**_

In the field of poppies along the Lethe and Erebus, the god of dreams and his brother, the god of nightmares, had collected the dust and pollen into large urns.

The butterflies and wisps had made themselves scarce, with only a few fluttering close to Ciera's unconscious form. Morpheus couldn't help noticing how weak her body had become. Blue veins were prominent streams running under her much paler skin. Her breathing was shallower than it was a few days prior. Even the poppies surrounding her had begun to grey and wilt. That final collection had really drained her.

As the field around Ciera withered, the will-o-the-wisps picked her up and slowly moved her to another portion of the meadow. Even as she left, dust and pollen lingered to restore the flowers.

Morpheus sighed as the wisps gently laid the demigod down. He approached his daughter. Curious, Phobetor joined him. The god of dreams touched Ciera's necklace, whispered a chant, and immediately the dust stopped flowing from her. The field was silenced; as much as exhausted as Ciera.

Although Morpheus wanted to aid the titan army, although he wanted the war to be theirs, although he wanted the end of the Olympians –he realised he just couldn't risk the life of his daughter. After all, he did this for her. For all of the undermined children of sleep and dreams.

Besides, if she didn't join Kronos, she wouldn't have been allowed to live, in fear that her abilities would aid the Olympians.

"We have what we need for the spell." Morpheus declared as he turned from Ciera.

"So what do we do with her?" Phobetor asked, joining his brother.

The god of dreams glanced at his daughter, still unconscious.

…_**MMM…III**_

_...In my field of paper flowers_

_And candy clouds of lullaby_

_(Paper flowers)_

_I lie inside myself for hours_

_And watch my purple sky fly over me_

_(Paper flowers)_

_Don`t say I`m out of touch_

_With this rampant chaos, your reality_

_I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge_

_The nightmare I built my own world to escape..._

The lyrics and melody of 'Imaginary' by Evanescence resonated through the sanctuary. The upside down candles illuminated dim white light as the daughter of Morpheus rested in the Land of Dreams. Everything seemed to come alive as the music played: The pictures of angelic imps flew out of their silver frames and danced amongst the shadows. The image of Darkrai, on the wall blinked its cyan coloured eye and its shadowy form swayed as if wind was blowing through the room.

Ciera's ran a hand through Iah's soft fur as she rested her head on his stomach. The tiger, with his eyes closed, lazily wagged his tail as it hung off of the bed due to his immense size.

She was relaxing her troubles away. She no longer felt the dust leaving her. It was as if a switch had been turned off and she wasn't disintegrating. _If the flow had stopped, why has dad kept me here? _Ciera couldn't tell whether to be thrilled or worried, but at that moment, she decided not to choose.

_...Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming_

_Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights_

_Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming_

_The Goddess of imaginary light-_

The music came to a sudden stand still. Dancing angelic imps retreated to their silver frames and stood as if they'd never moved. The wind died around Darkrai.

The pair came out of their reverie and directed their eyes to the dark desk next to the wardrobe where Aislin was leaning with her folded arms across her chest after she had paused the song emitting from Ciera's dream world iPod dock (in reality, she wasn't allowed to have one).

Aislin's black angelic wings stretched and recoiled gently rustling her long, curly black hair. The imp then pointed to the door and her eyes passed a message unto Ciera's mind saying, _"Milady isn't it time to get to your chores?"_

Ciera released a sigh. With a small hand gesture, the candles' white flames burned brighter.

Iah jumped off the bed as the demigod went inside her wardrobe and closed the doors behind her. She'd walked in wearing a black tank top and long lavender pajama bottoms with colourful stars on them. After two seconds, she exited wearing her grey graphic t-shirt with a white crying skull imprinted and writing in black that read "Reality is Harsh, but Dreams are Dangerous" and jeans. In the wardrobe's mirror, Ciera ran her fingers through her brown-gold hair.

"Ready." The demigod stated returning the wardrobe's doors to their closed regular position. "You coming Iah?"

The tiger yawned. "Better than lying around." Iah's deep voice spoke as he stretched in a feline-like way with his long striped tail rising up.

Most mortals would freak out at the sight of an animal speaking in human language, but this did not trouble the daughter of Morpheus. In the Realm of Dreams, animals can converse like animals, or they could possibly converse like humans.

The demigod smiled and the trio exited the room into the corridors of the palace.

_**ooo…000…lalala**_

On the way through the corridors and down the long flight of stairs, Ciera noticed the palace was strangely quiet. The golden picture frames depicting mortal's dreams still carried on their usual everyday jobs, portraying the dreams of mortals. Usually by now a couple of the statues would be playing hockey in the hallway with some of the palace's imaginary friends, with the portraits routing for a team. But they were all quiet. Even the shadows were quiet and not as vibrant.

Everything just felt…still, like someone died. The daughter of Morpheus looked at her two companions and wondered why they didn't seem fazed by this anomaly.

A loud explosion sounded in the distance knocking Ciera out of her thoughts while the trio were a quarter ways down the long case of stairs with a bazillion more to go.

Ciera had frozen in place, shocked at the sound. Aislin and Iah took off down the stairwell to the main chamber. The imp flapped her angelic black wings in rapid procession sending her down the stairs at top speed. The white tiger gracefully leaped down the stairs ten at a time leaving his demigod companion behind.

"Guys! Wait for me!" Ciera shouted after the pair.

They ignored her request and kept on going.

The demigod knew very well that gravity hated her when stairs were concerned. She always took her time in both the land of reality and the land of dreams. If she fell down those stairs, she would be guaranteed pain, bruises, and broken ribs when she returned to her body. That is, IF she was ever able to return to her body.

So she sighed and continued her decent carefully. _Whatever that was, I'm sure Phantasos, a big white tiger and a few imaginary friends can handle it._

_**-I-**_

There was only darkness in the chamber, along with the same stillness as the rest of the palace.

The quietness was unusual.

_Wasn't there an explosion? _the demigod began thinking to herself as her bare feet slowly stepped into gloom. If the blast was caused by Phantasos (and it has happened before), the fire-fighters would've been putting out the flames while Phantasos paced and mumbled to himself. But there was nothing.

"Hello? Phantasos? Aislin? Iah?...Alfred?"

No response.

Silence.

"This better not be a trick Phobetor because it's not funny." Ciera shouted, thinking her second-least-favourite uncle was trying to scare her.

She tensed as something moved in the shadows.

Out of the blue (or out of the black seems more appropriate), Ciera found herself landing her back on the marble floor.

And for the 1,298th time –and counting-, she'd been tackled to the ground.

"I wiiiin….Again." The Titan of the sun sing-songed.

"Shut…uuuup." Ciera sing-songed.

The ceiling of candles lit up, nearly blinding her. Helios laughed and helped Ciera to her feet.

"Group hug!" Phantasos shouted.

Before she could react, Selene tackled Ciera in a hug, followed by Phantasos, Aislin and Iah –whose weight sent everyone crashing down.

Helios sat on top of the pile eating a cookie from who knows where.

After much flailing, hair tangling in wings, and cursing, the daughter of Morpheus finally managed to crawl from under her pile of friends, and they managed to untangle.

She huffed and puffed as if she'd been forced to train for hours.

"Really guys?" Ciera finally managed to control her breathing. "Really?...What's this all about anyway?"

Aislin rolled her ice blue eyes and giggled. Translated this meant, _"You really are slow milady."_

Ciera shot the imp a look with her own silent language which translated meant _"What's that supposed to mean?"_

If it was possible for immense white tigers to roll their pure silver eyes, Iah surely did. "It's your birthday." His deep voice answered Ciera's question.

"Already?"

Phantasos nodded in confirmation.

"It's July the sixth in reality." Phantasos began as he fluttered his wings toward his throne changing from the size of a normal teenage boy, to the size of a ten foot tall god. "Happy Sweet Sixteen!"

"Come on Cee!" Selene grabbed Ciera's arm and began dragging her away "Let's go celebrate!"

"Slow down Sel!" Ciera remarked as she left with Selene. Iah, Aislin and Helios followed suit.

_**b…p…q**_

"You'll pay for that Selene!" Helios shouted after his sister impaled him with a snowball the size of a grapefruit. The former Titan of the sun brushed the white off of his deep red winter coat and black jeans.

Ciera watched the two battle it out in a snow covered clearing. It was freezing out so the demigod was thankful for the fluffy white coat Selene loaned her. She was determined to have a good time.

Flick that annoying mite of worry to the side.

Instead of tiring herself out when there was clearly nothing she could do, she decided to enjoy more of the dream world's treasures, like snow in summer.

The forest surrounding the clearing had tall leafless trees with thick trunks, big roots and was decorated with gold and silver lanterns. The bark of the trees wasn't wood as per usual. These trees where made of real candy cane. Small frost fairies danced around in the sky and on the tree top sprinkling powdery snow.

"I'd like to see you try! I have the moon on my side!" Selene's aura glowed silver as the moon in the dark sky gave her strength. She dodged the fast coming snowballs travelling on her side of the battleground with extreme stealth and grace.

Ciera, sitting at the base of a tree with Iah, smiled and glanced at Aislin who was very much comfortable in the cold with only her white 'Imp Corp' t-shirt and black jeans and no coat. The imp broke candy from a broken-off branch and offered some to Ciera and Iah.

The battle continued on with Selene pelting Helios. A few imaginary friends that took on the form of elfish children wearing Christmas colours stepped into the clearing and began to help Helios take on Selene. Snow balls flew like a snowstorm toward the Titaness and completely covered her in a pile of white.

Helios high-fived Santa's elves for their assistance. Selene pulled herself out of the pile and shook the snow off of her black trench coat and silver jeans.

"Okay," She said her eyes glowing dramatically "This...means...WAR!"

Selene used her fingers to create a whistle. Behind her appeared two fully grown polar bears and a dozen snowmen rose up from the snowy ground ready to join in the battle...

Then many things happened at once. The ground shook violently, the snowman army instantly crumbled, the elves screamed and ran back to the workshop, Iah and the polar bears roared, Aislin readied the candy cane branch like a baseball bat, and both Selene and Helios screeched Ciera's name just as the ground swallowed her whole.

…_**eekk!...**_

_Helios: Oh come on! A cliffhanger? Seriously?_

_The Fading Author: I'm sorry Helios, but the chapter was getting too long for my comfort._

_Helios: Have you even figured out what's going to happen next?_

_The Fading Author: You're the all-seeing, all-hearing, all-knowing. You tell me._

_Helios: *sighs* At least change that sucky summary you put up for this story._

_The Fading Author: Humph! The summary is only like that because the story was originally a one-shot._

_Helios: A bad one!_

_The Fading Author: Listen you I- *gets interrupted*_

_Selene: Oookay! Thank you readers for reading. And The Fading Author does have something planned *glares at Helios*. However, you know how the future isn't always clear, and things happen. So hope this story continues to shine. Oh, and thanks to the author's twin sis for helping us introduce the chapter. _

_Phantasos: Yea! And if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask them, and we'll answer ya. Til next time, dream on, read on, and rock on from all of us here a part of The Fading Author's dream team._

_The Fading Author: *calmed down* Thanks for all your support guys. I'll work hard to make the story enjoyable. But remember, I'm only human._

_**-Finding a Dream**_


	6. Wakeup Call

**Wake-up Call**

_The Fading Author: * packing her suitcases* Oh hey there everyone. Welcome to, drum roll please. *drum roll sounds in the background* CHAPTER 6! Usually Ciera or one of the story's other characters is here to open up, but they're currently busy. So for now it's just me._

_Phobetor: *appears out of nowhere* And me._

_The Fading Author: O now you want to help out. Alright get on with it while I finish packing. *tosses books in a suitcase*_

_Phobetor: The Fading Author does not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians (thankfully). I hope this story gives you all eternal nightmares. Feel free to throw stones at the author for any mistakes you encounter. And she hates all you-_

_The Fading Author: *throws City of Lost Souls at Phobetor's head cutting him off* That sucked Phobetor. Well I guess if I want something done right the first time, I have to do it myself._

_*Phobetor hisses like an anaconda and vanishes*_

_The Fading Author: *rolls eyes* Sorry 'bout that folks. This story will most definitely not give you nightmares. Please don't kill me for any mistakes. Oh yea and I want to thank the Gaia was Framed, shy-twinee, all my reviewers, favoriters, and followers, and of course everyone else. This whole series is for you guys and I hope you do enjoy it. Now, this suitcase ain' ga pack itself. Laters._

_**yyy-YYY**_

**Ciera's POV**

"_Wake up Ciera." _A gentle whisper called out to me from beyond the darkness.

I chose to ignore it. The vast black was ever so cosy.

"_Wake up Ciera." _Ah, the voice was persistent, and I was stubborn. I dove deeper into the shadows of rest. Surely the voice could wait just five more minutes…

Then I was drowning. It was the end of my days as a white light grew brighter, and brighter, and…

"_Ciera. Wake up child."_ I recognized the whisper. The voice belonged to my father, Morpheus, god of dreams. But he wasn't alone. With my unfortunate ascent into the glow there was the echo of another.

"_Hmmm, maybe another gallon would do the trick-"_

I had intended to surface shouting a very dignifying "Noooooo!" But instead, when I jolted up, out came a fit of coughing as freezing cold water went down the wrong pipe.

_Cough. Cough…Cough…Cough_. Then something leapt out of my throat. There was an uprising of shouting, cursing, and rapid movements all around me.

I was shuddering from the icy water on my skin, my hearing was still numb, and my eyes peeped open for less than a heartbeat… _Wait, a heartbeat?_ And that's when I realized I _didn't_ have a heart at all.

Still shaking, and near terrified, I opened my eyes completely and saw something that changed my life forever…

There was a blonde teenage guy with the white feathery wings attached to his head moving up and down in frenzy, with a butterfly net in his hand, flying around in suit of a weird, pulsing bag of muscle with light blue flapping wings.

I stared in utter shock, with my chest empty save for my lungs -_which, by the way, offered no help with my breathing_- as the boy swung…missed…swung again…nearly crashed into the black cloaked mirage man, aka my dad…swung yet another time, yelled "GOT IT!"…and collided with a poor little girl, who'd shrieked such a pitiful sound that my heart (still in the net) thudded with sympathy.

Weird, I still got transmission from my heart despite being in a remote location.

"That's because we've finally upgraded to WiFi." The dude who captured my heart responded in a matter-of-fact tone. I hadn't realised I'd voiced my thought aloud.

Both he and the little girl got up, and dusted themselves off. Dad helped me to my feet.

"Catch!" The strange boy shouted. He threw a fast ball (my heart) at me that slammed right into my chest before I could even blink, let alone catch (I had horrible coordination). I nearly fell back down on my butt.

"Sorry about that Ciera." Dad steadied me "First time travel can be a bit-"

He was cut off when two figures burst into the large chamber. One from the gigantic doorway: a gorgeous teenage girl with long black hair wearing what looked like silver safari khakis shouting "Wait! Don't start without us!" The other materialized overhead from the ceiling of upside down candles, but I hadn't seen him do so.

That's because I was too busy screaming. But after that fiasco with my heart, I quickly clamped my mouth shut and tried to relax before it –or my lungs or other organs- decided to high-tail out of my being.

He had his strong arms around me as we ascended high up to the flames of the ceiling, and just when I thought I'd was toast (pun intended), he released me. I free-fell; dropped like a rock.

Many things went through my mind at once, but mostly _AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! _My eyes squeezed shut, and I almost –_almost_- wished I was back at my 'home' passed out in the middle of Uncle Jimmy's senseless ranting. The air rushed out of my lungs.

Then suddenly I wasn't falling. Those strong arms seized me again and it was like swinging through the jungle.

"Aw, come on open your eyes! And look at what you're missing!" He taunted in a whisper.

Despite my feelings of fear and nausea, I looked up. And I met a pair of the most amazing eyes I'd ever seen. They were made of more than sunshine. They were of the sun itself, up close and personal: restless, fiery…dangerous. The temperature skyrocketed and I was getting fidgety, which is not a comforting feeling while dangling at least a hundred feet off of a black marbled floor. My hair was frizzing out as the heat dispelled the icy water.

"C-c-an we go d-down please?" I stuttered out.

The world around us still moved in a blur of black and grey, but he was the only clear thing; the only light, save those of the ceiling. The crazy boy with the black hair ringed with a fiery halo tilted his head to the side, considering my request.

"Okay." With that simple word, he dropped me. _Again._

Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, having trouble breathing yet another time within the span of no more than twelve minutes, tops.

There was a glittery, flute noise and the blonde dude and little girl helped me up. The sound was from her (the little girl) and in that sound I heard: _"Are you alright, milday?"_

"Yea, I think so." I said spinning around to thank her. Then it was my turn to tilt my head in consideration. She looked vaguely familiar, like a long lost friend. Then it hit me when she slightly unfurled her wings. Blue eyes, black hair, brown skin, winged head…the constant desire to call me 'milady'…

"Aislin?" I asked, the gears (actual gears mind you) finished ticking in my brain.

She yipped happily and clapped her hands with glee. Then we did what usually girls do when they reunite at summer camp: we shrieked, laughed, squeezed each other's lights out, spoke rapidly at once, and jumped around.

Aislin was my imaginary friend from when I was a child. Growing up alone without really anyone my age had probably led to that, I guess (that and being a child of Morpheus). At night we did everything together from constructing a tent out of my sheets, sneaking into the kitchen for a midnight snack, or fighting the occasional monster that showed up in my closet (those monsters could've been real except disguised as old sweaters).

After my sobfest reunion, dad introduced began introductions.

I nearly choked when he called the blonde boy, Phantasos, god of unreal ambiguous dreams…my uncle.

"Trust me. I'm way older than I look." He shook my hand, and then pulled me in for a hug. Then he whispered in my ear "Just remember, I'm the_ fun_ one."

He released his hold, and winked his slightly creepy indigo and white eyes at me, and I couldn't help but smile.

The older girl that looked like a model approached with the other teenage boy. When they stood together, I noticed, they appeared to be brother and sister.

"I'm Selene, former Titaness of the moon, night, radiance, childbirth, and lunacy at your service" she did a cool hair flip and curtsied with invisible skirts. Then she punched her brother.

"OW!"

"And this is Helios. Sorry if he scared ya." She glared in his direction.

He shrugged off her look easily. After all, he'd probably done it for ages.

"That was my welcoming gift." He added not even the least bit sheepishly.

"Making her cough up her heart?" Selene asked between confused and irritated.

Aislin yelped: _"Actually, I'm afraid Lord Phantasos has given that gift already."_

"Nooo," Helios continued "The gift of adventure. Even without my all-seeing eyes I could tell she's a scared, shy, wimpy little girl in need of toughening-up."

"Hey!" I did not appreciate being called a wimp.

Helios looked at me and smirked. I blushed at the truth. I was very much a wimp.

"Alright guys, get ready for my surprise." She beamed. Silver light swirled around her –most likely for dramatic effect. She whistled and shouted "IAH!"

A white tiger jumped into the room and near tackled me to the ground.

Of course I was freaked out. But I had to admit the feline was seriously adorable. I guess he had the normal mass of a tiger, yet it that wouldn't have made any difference. He was still bigger than I was.

"I am at your service, milday." The white tiger bowed deeply, with a very deep rumbling voice. I was so moved that I timidly scratched behind his ears, much to his enjoyment.

I glanced at my dad. He was silent, taking all this weirdness in. Kind of like me when I was in social situations in the real world.

_Real world._

I'd puked up my heart. Was thrown around like a circus acrobat. Reunited with my imaginary friend. And I got a talking pet tiger for my fourteenth birthday.

Again, I'd voiced my thoughts aloud unknowingly.

"Yes, Ciera." Dad placed a hand on my shoulder. "Welcome to the Land of Dreams."

_**^^^…End of Flashback…^^^**_

"_Wake up Ciera."_ Another far away voice came to her in the darkness.

Except this time things were different. She was sixteen, rather than fourteen. The voice was not her father's.

The voice was urgent. She felt shuffling around her.

_CLANG._

Metal collided with metal. Projectiles flew at the speed of sound. Battle cries rang out…

"_CIERA!"_ The voice was clearer now. It screamed with more alarm than before, making her internal senses tell her to move. _NOW._

Blindly, she rolled a few feet to her right. Good thing too, or else she would've been squashed under the bulk of Mark, son of Ares.

That's when her dreamy blue eyes opened wildly. She was no longer in the land of dreams. She wasn't in a dream like she was just seconds before.

She was at Camp Half-Blood in reality…And she had been smacked down in the middle of a capture the flag game.

_Great. Just my luck,_ she thought as got to her feet. The dust had cleared from her mind, enabling her to grasp her surroundings. She wore an orange camp shirt under bits of armour and jeans, there were a few bruises on her arms, and her right hand held a sword, while her left held a shield.

There were a few Ares cabiners fighting with Travis and Conner of Cabin #11 as well as two girls from the Athena cabin. But she knew neither of them had called out to her.

Then she spotted her 'wake-up call' –not far away-by the creek hand-to-hand with Sherman, also from Ares…about to be attacked from behind by Dina, one of Sherman's half-sisters.

Ciera was never really good at combat, for health reasons. But there were rare times when she wouldn't let that stop her from doing what demigods are known for.

Being reckless.

In a matter of nanoseconds she dropped the sword and flung the shield like a Frisbee. It whirled straight and true and knocked Dina on her helmet-wearing head and she fell.

The horn blew…The game was over…Hermes and Athena cabiners cried victory…Her 'wake-up call' turned, noticed Ciera without a shield, and grinned in appreciation.

"Thanks Ciera." The voice belonged to Percy Jackson.

"It's the least I could do," The daughter of Morpheus retrieved the shield "After all; you helped me out back there. So thanks to you too."

Percy looked at her thoughtfully. She knew him as a great hero, powerful son of Poseidon.

"Yea, I just saw you there passed out, and thought you were sick again." Many people called him Seaweed Brain and thought of him as a little dumb at times. But she knew he was perceptive.

Percy had noticed she looked a little paler, a little more fragile than the last time he'd seen her, a few days ago maybe? Or was it that morning? Wasn't she the one whom he saw braiding grass in a naiad's hair around noon?

He shook the cobwebs out of his head.

Ciera hoped the Mist would hold. Hoped he would believe whatever false memories were supposed to be there.

Finally, Percy came to the conclusion that neither of those thoughts was true. The truth was: he'd last seen her _yesterday_ braiding _Juniper's_ hair.

_Not last summer fighting to dodge death by the sword of an enemy demigod. Not last summer when she'd comforted a mourning Pollux when he sat down after setting his brother's burial shroud on fire. _

_Nope. Nope. Nope._

Just then Annabeth came over to drag Percy away.

"Catch ya' later Ciera." He called over his shoulder "Get some rest."

Then he was gone.

Ciera sighed with relief as she wiped the sweat and her bangs off of her forehead. She jogged back to the camp with the rest of the Hermes cabin, leaving the monster filled woods with more monsters than there were before.

_**!^-^!**_

Selene and Helios searched the underground tunnels desperately for Ciera.

The Titaness had her suspicions something a little beyond bizarre would happen on Ciera's birthday. Such crazes were normal to her. Last year she and Ciera had to perform help mammalian-serpentine-dragon give birth (true story). The year before that, Ciera the rest of them had to repair Phantasos' seat of power (don't ask). And prior to that… well, let's just say spending the demigod's birthday in the land of dreams has always brought its tricks and treats.

But nothing like that freak earthquake in the candy cane forest. She didn't anticipate such a danger.

While Selene was mostly shocked by the severity of her friend's disappearance, Helios was fuming. Literally.

"Hey, ease up on the fire-power, Helios." The moon superior complained to her twin "I'm starting to break-out."

The Titan just barely held back a spiteful retort. One thing he'd tried to kill over the many years since his departure from reality, from being a full-time deity, was the act of lashing out at someone else to appease his rage. _It's not her fault_, he thought _I should've seen this coming. I'm supposed to know all I'm-_

His thoughts were cut by the sound of footsteps. They were at a distance, but his hearing was impeccable. He glanced at his sister and silent understanding passed between them.

Someone was approaching. Not just one someone, but _two someones_. And those _someones_ both made their friend hurt. They nearly broke her with their carelessness.

The Titans waited for the two to come to them. Their lights illuminated the dark channels; Selene's sterling silver was deceivingly calm, whereas Helios' scorching gold grew intense with each stride the newcomers took.

The two figures stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Selene and Helios knew _whom_ to expect, but not _what_ to expect.

Silence. The frightening kind.

"I think we have a problem." Phobetor had said trying to conceal his ample fear with a cloud of annoyance.

The god of nightmares was holding the hand of a small child, with blonde hair and a pitch-black cloak that was way too big for him.

_**8***8**_

_Phantasos: HA! I bet no one saw that coming!_

_The Fading Author: Well, maybe if some of the readers had read the old, incomplete first draft of this series, they would've seen it coming._

_Ciera: Behold ladies and gentlemen, something not seen in the series –which is a good thing as it opened gates for opportunity for TFA to make a fanfiction on it: I, Ciera, was a part of Cabin #11 at Camp Half-Blood. Though it wasn't in TFA's first drafts._

_The Fading Author: So guys, I've updated about three times this month-_

_*gets cut off by all the characters cheering*_

_The Fading Author: Aw, thanks…But I mightn't be able to update for a while since I moving to a new school in a different country. So my schedule may be jam packed with extra activities, stressing, homework, and most importantly: reading novels instead of studying._

_Selene: Anyway, on behalf of The Fading Author, thanks for tuning in, and we beg your patience._

_Ciera: O and thanks TFA for giving me my own POV at the beginning._

_The Fading Author: You're welcome. _

_*explosion; Iah runs in*_

_Iah: Lady Author, we have a situation 2.63% above Critical._

_The Fading Author: *gasps* MY SUITCASES!... Um, by readers catch you later. *shouts to the distance* HELIOS YOU BASTARD! *runs out with Iah, Selene, and Phantasos*_

_Ciera: Read on, dream on, rock on and write on from The Fading Author and all of us here at:_

**-Finding a Dream**


	7. Memories and Silent Gunshots

**Memories and Silent Gunshots**

_The Fading Author: *looks up from studying philosophy* Hello readers and welcome back after such a long time. *goes back to reading*_

_Ciera: Since the Lady Author was dutifully stressing over her work we have a special guest with us here today as a special surprise for her._

_The Fading Author: *immediately shoves the laptop and books to the floor in excitement* Really? WhoisitwhoisitWHOISIT?!_

_Ciera: Please welcome our new teammate in the battle to defend dreams: Percy Jackson!_

_Percy: *runs in at high-fives Ciera* Thanks for inviting me. Your mansion is cool._

_The Fading Author: Well, luckily you've been to Camp Half-Blood for years, 'cause trust me when I say your training will serve you well here._

_Percy: Why? *ADHD acts up and he dodges a stray fireball*_

_*swearing in the distance*_

_Ciera: That's why. Selene and Helios tend to forget that many of us aren't immortal and can be easily killed._

_Percy: As usual with the gods and Titans._

_The Fading Author: Would you be so as kind to give a disclaimer to kick off the chapter?_

_Percy: Sure! The Fading Author does not own Me and the Olympians. Excuse any errors (mostly because Ciera made me of all people proof read). And special thanks to everyone still following along with the story and for understanding that there are many things that occupy a fanfiction writer's time than her story. *dodges a stray silver dagger with ease* Enjoy!_

_**-P-**_

**A while ago:**

A young woman of her mid-twenties leaned her back against the some-what stiff pillows, still in some minor pain after recently giving birth. Those aches were replaced with joy as the nurse handed her a pink bundle; so warm, so small and delicate in her arms.

She hardly heard the nurse state to her the obvious –a baby girl- and leave the room to tend to the needs of others.

Lily was exhausted as any mother would be after labor. However, it's appropriate to consider her an exception and rank her fatigue higher among others. Prior to that day, she had hardly slept a wink. She was plagued by constant nightmares whenever she tried to escape to dreams.

She figured they were coming out of vengeance, and she cringed at such a thought.

The little one stirred. For the first time ever, the baby opened her eyes to the world. Her mother managed a weak laugh as the little one quickly shut her dreamy blue eyes to the fluorescent lights with a cry. After a bit of soothing, the cries had stopped, as the baby managed to wear herself out in just a few short minutes.

A pale man appeared from an unknown door. As he walked over to Lily and the child, no shadow followed despite the lights. He shimmered like a mirage; there, yet the elements of the world could not touch him, nor prove his existence.

"She has your eyes, Morpheus."

The god of dreams smiled.

Without another word, Lily fell asleep. He was surprised it took that long for unconsciousness to hit.

The god of dreams shrugged and held his daughter. He gently ran his finger over his daughter's cheek. A loving gesture.

Then he grasped her throat.

…

By the time the girl turned six, she had begun to produce the Dust that flows through dreams and helps to power the realm.

The first time the power followed through her, she had ended up unconscious in the school nurse's office.

It was the first time since her birth that her father had visited. He had taken some premature dust – more like sand- with him as proof.

Proof for the Uninvited.

_**3**_

Phantasos was utterly silent.

He didn't frown. He didn't even glance at the sleepy little boy that Selene held by the hand. Noticing the butterfly of power fluttering wildly in its glass jar, she took the boy and left Phantasos, Phobetor and Helios alone in the throne room. She went to find Aislin, and to warn the imaginary friends that the castle just might fall.

Most likely it won't as Phantasos is more than capable of quenching anger, but at that moment, she wasn't so sure.

Phantasos still hadn't uttered a sound. The white wings on his head were still, without their usual restless flutter. He didn't even bother wasting energy to look like he was breathing.

Phobetor did not like this one bit.

When he had realized the awful turn of events, the god of nightmares was expecting Helios to light his pants on fire (already did that in the tunnels), and Selene to turn him into Swiss cheese with her array of silver daggers (unfortunately didn't because she was calming a crying child). But what he didn't expect was his little brother's intense silence.

On his throne, after what must have been a tortoise's triumphant march across the finish line, the god of unreal dreams spoke.

"What. The. Hell." Three words. Progress.

Silence again.

"What the hell." He repeated, meshing the sounds to one silent explosion rather than three individual gun shots as before.

Phobetor said nothing. The shock of being double-crossed had by worn off on him long before this meeting.

Standing before his brother, he knew his actions were evil. He wasn't ashamed. He wasn't even sorry. He was extremely pissed (more than usual) and more annoyed than afraid. Being the god of nightmares, fear doesn't tend to linger in him

"This, for once, is not my fault." Phobetor responded ever so calmly. He turned away from his brother, walked pass Helios, grew and sat on his throne. He lit a cigar. "It was Morpheus who had originally sealed the deal."

_**Phobetor summons a flashback**_

"_And pray tell me, god of dreams. Why exactly should I help you?"_

_Morpheus stood in conversation with Nameless, the leader of the Uninvited – dream eaters, thieves._

_Many have never heard of them. This, in its own special way, is perfect. They are called the Uninvited for a reason. Though, there is mention of this kind of dark creature in the story of Sleeping Beauty – the dark fairy, overlooked and uninvited._

"_Well?" Nameless demanded, clearly growing impatient._

_Morpheus smiled and buried a hand in his cloak…._

_**flashback stops abruptly**_

If the god of nightmares was peeved that his flashback was cancelled, he didn't show it.

"He's the one – not I – who'd sold his daughter for more allies." Phobetor went on smoking with an air of innocence.

The cigar blew up in his face.

"That's not the entire story!" The former Titan exploded (quite literally as the throne room lit up).

Helios normally would laugh at his mischief if he wasn't in such a fiery mood (the dangerous kind).

Phantasos sighed and dusted ash off of his shirt.

…

**Story's present day:**

_The palace's garden was filled with bushes of the most beautiful blossoms ever. These flowers were soft, and droopy like weeping willows, and were of a strange crystal colour (if crystal had a colour) in the evening moon. The tall menacing trees lined the trail my father and I walked…. Their leafless branches reached out, as if feeling the cool air for food…. _

_Dad walked ahead, even faster, seeming lost in thought. I hung back a bit to observe the trees at a slower pace…. Then a large, snakelike root grabbed the hem of my dress, and the heel of my foot was pricked. I felt weaker, and the tree's from shuddered, grew and shimmered. _

_Dad was suddenly there; quickly touching the tree which sighed reluctantly and released my heel. It took a second or two for its light aura to wink out, and my energy to return._

"_Stay close." He took my hand and drew me nearer. His cloak was warm and plush, and I just wanted to bury my face in it and sleep. _

_The god of dreams laughed, reading the expression on my face and we continued forward; this time he was making sure I followed closely. I enjoyed our brief father-daughter walks before a statue came to life or a fairy swooped in with urgent messages and he had to vanish off to somewhere else. Leaving me behind like any normal god or even work-a-holic dad would do to his child._

_The wind picked up and the forest was filled with various tones of moaning; the trees were singing and sighing, just as uncle Phantasos said they would whenever they got chilly. _

_We'd reached a ruined pavilion. It must have been beautiful once, standing nearly as tall as the trees, but it lay in pieces of grey marble. Somehow, that made it a lovely addition to this garden/forest of colour and misery._

"_I have something important to tell you." Morpheus said and motioned for me to sit. I did, and he nestled himself next to me. _

_Looking at him expectantly, I couldn't help noticing the extra layer of weariness on his face. He's usually so relaxed, yet he always carries a hint of fatigue in his features. I supposed it came with the job of being ruler of the sub-conscious and closely related to sleep. I've been told on occasions that I too looked weary, even when I don't feel it. _

"_Ciera, as much as it pains me to do this…" Dad sighed and seethed at the same time, which I saw his face shift forms momentarily. That only occurred when something really got on his nerves. He seemed as if he'd rather be painting Selene's toenails than scrape the words out of his throat. _

_I waited a couple of seconds for him to finish, but he looked as though he was struggling. _

"_What is it?" I asked as gently and non-panicky as I possibly could. Epic failure. _

_He faced me, pushed the hair out of my eyes, and finally uttered "…I'm sending you to Camp Half-Blood"…_

Ciera's memory reel ended with her blinking the brightness of the dawn away. Her eyes had been closed, but nothing more. There had been no total blissful darkness. No slip into unconscious, and then subconscious.

No sleep. At all.

Far from the land of dreams.

The demigod's body had refused shut down and surrender to sleep. She always had a sense of weariness and fatigue normal to her body's mechanisms, but being forced into a sleep for weeks with no awakening -to rise and stretch and fist bump the sun- does leave the human shell restless, ready for action.

These physical desires to be active (more than usual) was a bit unnerving. Much like one experiencing the leaves turn autumn red for the first time. And harkens the sun's harsh brightness while the air conforms to the frosty cold of the dark.

It's a natural even, yet seems totally bizarre.

Of course she could've taken some sort of medication to help knock her lights out. If not from mortal medicine, Chiron the activities director would know a remedy or four to help a battle-drunk hero to rest. But her father and uncle Phantasos strongly discouraged (though Phobetor the opposite) pretty much any substance that might make her sleepy. Too much of it can be addicting to a child of dreams; especially one who as the years pass by find it difficult to cope in the so called real world, where it becomes difficult to tell dreams apart from the real.

Overdoses have happened.

With a sigh she swung herself legs first out of the hammock. Cabin #11 was overcrowded. The daughter of Morpheus vouched to sleep outside on the back porch to "save space," but mostly to prevent much of the dreamer's dust from intoxicating the other campers. Less suspicion of the grains' origins arise because outside dirt blows where ever the elements take it, and technically it has a right to be there.

If Ciera was to allow the dust to litter the cabin, they would receive even worse than a 2.19 as their regular inspection score. And that wouldn't be good for the Hermes' cabin rep. Oh, and the cabin members would most likely fall asleep and never get back up. Ever. Not even Death would claim them. They would belong to Sleep.

After a much appreciated shower, she walked back to her cabin as many other campers exited theirs' to start a new day.

With a start, she noticed something strange about a good number of them. The sleep they were rubbing from their eyes was normal, but to her, something felt off.

Too many of them were completely rested. Too rested, as if they had slept, but not dreamed.

"That's odd." She whispered to herself, confused as to why they small matter should be important.

Then something caught her disappearing behind a tree in the woods. It was a blurry shadow that had vanished as quickly as it appeared that Ciera thought she had imagined it, which wouldn't be the first time. The figure was too close to the cabins to be a monster, and it most certainly wasn't a nymph.

While the other campers reveled in their new found energy, Ciera only shivered at hers. As she continued on to Cabin #11, she couldn't help fearing for dreams.

…_**3**_

_The Fading Author: Okay, I think I'll end it here. Thank you guys for bearing with me. I probably should've added more, but I'm tired and I would feel horribly going into exams without posting something for you guys._

_Percy: I'm sure you'll do great. Better than me, if it'll make you feel better. _

_The Fading Author: Thanks Percy, for your encouragement and for stopping by._

_Percy: No problem. But I should probably get back to camp._

_The Fading Author: Alrighty. Thanks again guys for reading and bearing with my scatter-brained ideas that after two years is still trying to piece this story together. Sorry about the slow progress, and I hope the upcoming chapters would be more exciting for you all. Well, better continue studying (I loathe studying) Read on and rock on!_

_**-Finding a Dream**_


	8. The Broken Crown

**The Broken Crown**

_The Fading Author: I'm back from the great beyond!_

_Helios: Did you get me anything?_

_The Fading Author: *cheerfully* No! I wanted to get you a little more modesty and a fire extinguisher, but the great beyond was fresh out of both. So you get nothing!_

_Helios: Damn._

_Ciera: Welcome to chapter eight! On behalf of the author, thank you for your kindness and patience. They do wonders. There needs to be more of it in reality._

_The Fading Author: I do not own PJO, or any other book series. Never have, never will…_

_Selene: On that happy note, Enjoy!_

_**F…D**_

**Ciera's POV**

I sigh…

_CLANG, CLATTER _

Not the best sound effects ever, but the sigh I just did? Yea, big mistake. My sword clatters to the ground as I stumble on my knees, signalling my defeat in the duel.

_Hmm, two minutes and twenty-three seconds. A new record…Who am I kidding? I can't count time passing in my head while in battle. For a year now I couldn't bring myself to wear a watch on my wrist. Time took my father away from me…_

"Hey, earth to Ciera. You alright?" The voice of my sparring partner guides me from my reverie.

You may have realized by now, but regular demigod fighting is not really my thing. At Camp Half-Blood I am most likely the worst fighter ever, and not many of the others understand the meaning of 'mercy' toward that little detail. So I was very relieved this Saturday afternoon when Percy Jackson offered to be my sparring buddy, like he used to do sometimes in the old days. He deserves a far worthier opponent, yet he decided to spar with me.

I look up and he is smiling proudly. Maybe I did last over two minutes with him after all. I accept his offered hand with a muffled 'thanks' and I get to my feet.

"No problem. You did pretty well. Lasted longer than ever..." His voice is beginning to take on a thoughtful tone. "It's almost as if you're full of more energy than usual."

Again, his perception astounds me.

"Besides, Dina looked as if she wanted some payback from last night." Percy nods in the direction of a few of Ares' daughters taking their recess in the stands. I do not bother turning around to see them sneering. I am too busy looking at Percy, trying to figure out what is on his mind. My suspicions are correct as he sighs, scratches the back of his head, unsure if he should breathe his next words.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something," he says nervously.

I expertly shrug off my obvious curiosity and nod an 'okay.'

I sheath my unbalanced sword. He caps his weapon, Riptide. Totally awesome... _I wonder if his weapon is a play on "the pen is mightier than the sword." If so, then which is mightier in this case? Obviously the sword but…_ I stop myself. Even though I wasn't able to sleep last night, I still fall slave to daydreaming and wondering, as usual.

Percy and I grab water bottles from the cooler and make our way to the other side of the arena, far away from the other campers. Mrs. O'Leary is snoozing comfortably in the warm July sun. The hellhound's ears prick up at Percy's approach, peeps open an eye, and notices I am as much of a threat as a typical single-celled organism. After that, she goes right back to her nap.

I frown, distracted at the sleeping mastiff. Many monsters, like the majority of the population of gods, do not necessarily dream. But they usually do have some level of a subconscious. I wonder what's going through hers.

Mrs. O'Leary makes me nervous. You can't really blame me; she's the size of a tank and slightly more lethal than five of them put together. But then that's something Percy and I have in common; we both have oversized pets.

Percy takes a long sip of water and exhales deeply before he is ready to speak.

"I had a dream last night..." He leaves the sentence hanging dramatically and looks at me intently.

His words instantly peak my interest because the camp is full of energized, dreamless zombies.

After a brief pause to gather my thoughts, excitement, and worries together in colour coordinated notes, I continue.

"Percy, the fact that you actually _dreamed_ makes me feel relieved." My gaze goes back to Mrs. O'Leary for a moment, still wondering if she is dreaming.

"Why? Demigods have disturbing dreams mostly every night."

I bite my lower lip, for the first time having the need to be careful what I reveal. I can't tell him about the ultimate power of the Mist altering his and the entire camp's perception enough to believe I was here from June. That's one secret out of my control and understanding.

"Last night I didn't sleep. I couldn't. Even now I don't feel any fatigue. You noticed how I lasted over two minutes against you…This active feeling isn't normal. Not for me."

"Really?" Percy asks, confused. For many demigods, as you know, it is the opposite. Restlessness equals higher chance of survival. The majority are ADHD, but me…maybe attention deficit, but not so much on the hyperactivity.

"Yeah, but it's not important right now."

Percy nods. Mrs. O'Leary woofs in her slumber. I, that means she is dreaming somewhat, in the way monsters do.

"I can't make much sense of what I saw." Percy says.

I laugh nervously, trying not to reveal the full extent of how much his words freak me out. "Welcome to my reality."

He quirks an enquiring eyebrow. I sigh, which translates to _More on that later_.

I retrieve a small box from my pack. "Can you uncap your sword, please?"

Percy brings out Riptide. "Now what?"

"This is called Dreamer's Dust." I explain and sprinkle some of the box's contents onto the blade. "It flows through dreams and sleep…Well, to spare you the boring details, when I put this on your blade it should allow me to cut through your subconscious. Make it a temporary looking glass portal into your most recent dream."

The blade shimmers and everything goes dark as I enter the shadow of Percy's dream.

From the beginning I do not like what I see.

…It was my sixteenth birthday, the day before yesterday. The ground had swallowed up me in one huge gulp. I screamed at first, not so much in fear as I fall many times from great heights, but my cries echoed from shock.

Weird things have happened on my birthday in the past, but nothing as dangerous as this. Sure I'd had to help a vicious reptilian-mammalian water dragon called Rampage give birth two months before she was due – Hannah Montana songs do that, you know. Sure I was almost eaten, drowned and emotionally scarred for life. But at least my friends were there: Aislin playing her flute to calm the beast, Selene jumping in after me despite not wearing waterproof mascara, and of course Helios passing out on the shore with Iah standing guard to make sure he wasn't mistaken for the newborn's first meal.

But when I fell, I was alone. Falling…and falling…and falling…

Then I collided into a slope and slid down…and down…and down… until the ground revealed itself, returning from its coffee break. The foundation of the catacombs does that every so often, apparently.

After the shock and the fall, I got to my feet, trying to ignore my aching limbs. The darkness thickened, suffocating me. I wished for Helios or Selene with their built in nightlights to suddenly appear and make the shadows behave. Unfortunately, there were no candles on a birthday cake for me to blow out.

Seriously, I could hardly breathe. I coughed, choked, and dissolved…

My horrific uncle Phobetor, god of nightmares, approaches carrying my physical, unconscious form. I can tell by the same shirt and jeans I wore the day my dad locked me in the land of dreams. That and how I look like an even more fragile peach than usual with paler skin.

After Phobetor comes a strange man, made of grey shadow and dust, but is wearing a beautiful crown. For a second as I watch the dream, I feel as if I have seen that crown before. For some reason it is important. The platinum ring is etched with designs of keys, and wide U curves which could be confused as smiles but are actually closed eyes, the symbol of Morpheus.

There are also slight floral patterns as well, which made the crown distinctly princess-like.

[I sense that while Percy was having the dream, he couldn't help but call the guy out on it.]

I laugh a bit…

And then I gasp as a little boy with blonde hair is roughly thrown to the ground, landing right next to my unconscious form.

I would never have known who the boy was if not for the black cloak he wears. It is huge and clearly too big for him.

It is my dad, I realise with a choked sob. I had never seen him look so weak and vulnerable. He is a child, his hair messy and tangled, golden ichor staining the bruises on his head, and some came from his ears. His usual mirage glow is flickering, and if the cave had more light, there's no doubt he would cast a shadow.

He is in chains. He is sobbing.

It is so cruel. It is scary. And my uncle Phobetor seems amused. That backstabbing Judas.

The strange man's shadowy form shifts until he looks like a defective clone of my father's more realistic (for the most part) form. The stranger looks younger, long blond hair, long black trench coat, jeans. His eyes nothing like dad's. They were sort of like Phobetor's empty voids, except they drained dark blood that never seem to drip past his lovely cheek bones, yet still appear to constantly drain.

The crown still looks pretty girly, but it does nothing to make him any less intimidating.

He approaches sad Little Morpheus and unconscious me. Circling us as if he were a wolf. He pauses in front of the scared child and gently places a hand on his head. Little Morpheus whimpers and continues sobbing.

"Thank you Phobetor. This is a wondrous gift indeed." The strange man continues to ruffle my dad's hair. His voice is beautiful, but there is something about it that seems…unpleasant. I want to push him away and defend my dad, but I am only a spectator (and unconscious side-character). This is an event from the past and there is nothing I could do to change it.

Phobetor kneels down beside me. The me that is observing flinches. My nightmare of an uncle (pun intended) loves torturing me. I feel that I know why, but I never want to admit it to myself, foolishly hoping that ignoring his motifs will make them go away. It's the basic reaction to dealing with fear. It doesn't always work, but a demigod can hope.

He runs a hand through the unconscious me's hair and I flinch again. I am not particularly shocked to notice that my uncle's fingers remain clear of dust. My frailer appearance proves they've drained me near breaking point; I had felt it. There was no dust for Phobetor at the moment, but that doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure the dreamer's dust isn't his only motif for being evil toward me.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Nameless."

_Nameless._ My brain finally puts two and two together. The grey dust – it is dreamer's dust that have lost their power, thrown away, and unwanted. Uncle Phantasos told me there is a reason most mortals do not remember their dreams. There is a reason that dreams fade away upon awakening. The Uninvited takes them away.

I stare in shock. Phobetor is a pretty wicked guy, and from the looks of things, he seems to have traded my father – his own brother - for me in turn as if I'm some prize to be won.

Again I flinch, this time because Nameless leaves Morpheus to inspect me. He narrows his bloody eyes.

If I am correct (and I hope I am wrong) this man is the head leader of the Uninvited. Phantasos says he is named Nameless because giving him will only give him more power than he should have.

"On second thought," He tilts his head, seemingly satisfied. "I want the princess instead. You can take your brother back." He says it with such finality.

Phobetor does not look pleased. "We had a deal you selfish son of a –"

"Now, now Phobetor," Nameless chides with jest. "There is a child present." He touches my necklace with my camp beads from my real world family, and charms my dream world family gave me.

Uncle Phobetor's void eyes look annoyed and scary as usual. But I think I feel a hint of concealed worry.

Then something strange happens.

Little Morpheus wails. Another earthquake shakes the catacombs. My dad's mirage-like glow completely fades.

The crown on Nameless' head breaks with a sickening crack, causing him to yell in pain. A gash opens on his head and grey dust begins to slowly pour out.

My unconscious self disappears. Phobetor grabs Little Morpheus by the hand and they escape the falling debris of the cave.

"Treachery!" Nameless yanks the broken ring off of his head. "I will find them…"

His words are drowned out by the noise of cave walls giving in…

**F…D**

**Phantasos' POV**

I sigh and dust ash off of my black shirt.

The gears in my mind suddenly whirl like crazy. I have the urge to stretch my wings, fly around the throne room, and rant on and on about the genius crap that had just materialized. It'll hopefully make a killer movie or novel.

But I don't let the genius crap take flight.

Despite being the youngest of the Oneiroi, despite being the most hyperactive, and despite being the most surreal and childlike, I am second in command.

Is it an absolute honour? Does it boost my credibility as a god, making me more powerful to compare with my older brothers?

It most certainly does not. It just means when the going gets tough, when the two most powerful dream gods screw up monumentally – so monumentally that my mind accidently constructs an actual monument with a stellar plaque and the whole eight yards – I am stuck with the fall out.

This time it's different.

This time, the burden is on Ciera's shoulders. And there is little I can do. Most of the other gods wouldn't mind. _Leave it to the demigods to solve our problems, they certainly don't mind. After all they must do our biding._ Ha. Most of us just don't like to admit we are not invincible. I cannot stop the Uninvited.

"The crown was a fake." Phobetor interrupts.

"Thank you, Catherine Obvious." _Some sick bastard changed it to "Captain Obvious" sometime ago. I'm sure of it._ Unlike most gods, I try not to be too spiteful. Does that make me a goody-two-shoes? It most certainly does not. But I make exceptions for my brothers. Besides, I don't wear shoes anyway.

Helios stares dejectedly into the fire.

"They're going after her."

Sure enough the hearth blazes brighter and reveals Camp Half-Blood. It is night time and the campers are sleeping. Ciera isn't, despite her eyes being closed. Many campers do not realise their dreams are being eaten by unseen dream eaters. Some are stolen to be devoured later.

I need to get a message out. I retrieve my iPad. I find a camper who is yet to fall asleep.

"Aislin. Iah." I call. The imp and tiger are before me within seconds. "Go to Percy Jackson. He needs to dream."

They bow and vanish.

It's only a matter of time now. Plan A and B have failed. Plan C must commence. For better or worse.

**F…D**

**Ciera's POV**

The dream fades and I open my eyes to the dimming light of the real world.

Silence. Accompanied by Mrs. O'Leary's worried whimpers.

I feel my energy slowly draining away. Much of my cells feel as if they want to shed off of me while my body simultaneously pumps into overdrive to replenish them. I want to groan, curse the world and fall back to sweet nothingness. I felt like crap and I _LOVED_ it.

"Was I out?" I mumble and rub my forehead. My palm is glittered with a tiny amount of dust.

"For a couple of hours." Percy responds as the horn signalling dinner time is blown. "How do you feel? What happened?"

I want to repeat my self-proclamation of feeling like crap and enjoying it, but now that the shock of normalcy is wearing off, worry decides to take over.

I can't form any words to describe how I feel, so I shake my head.

Percy thankfully understands and refrains from pushing me for answers. He gets to his feet and helps me up.

"We can sneak out after curfew and talk," he offers.

I nod.

"I-I don't know exactly what's going on," I manage to say as we head to the dining pavilion. "But I do know that somehow, somewhere, there is a king without a crown. And he is not happy about that."

**F..D**

_The Fading Author: I'm exhausted. *lays on the couch* If the mansion is burning down, don't wake me up. Just let me die._

_Helios: Okay. *sets the coffee table on fire*_

_Aislin: *screams and grabs the fire extinguisher and douses the flames*_

_Ciera: Can I burrow that Ais? _

_Aislin: *shrieks* "Certainly milady. *hands it over*_

_Ciera: Helios! *sprays him with the fire extinguisher*_

_Helios: Bloody hell, I was just kidding!_

_The Fading Author: *groans* _

_Phantasos: The author is tired since so much has gone on in this chapter. She was even nice enough to give me my own POV! I swear I will not annoy her for a week. And I will not capture her heart on a constant basis making her have to kick, punch, and bitch for it back._

_Ciera: Thanks guys for reading. TFA has been thinking about editing the previous chapters. She absolutely hates looking at the errors she thought she'd made._

_Phantasos: Updating is slow as always, but we hope you all continue to enjoy the story as it slowly makes its progress. Read on, write on, and rock on from all of us at_

**-Finding a Dream**


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